Q: Could Yakhouba Diawara wind up as the final piece for the Heat this offseason, with the need for a perimeter defender? — Enrique.

A: Apparently not. While Diawara has been working out regularly at AmericanAirlines Arena, hoping to latch on for another tour, it appears the Heat is moving in another direction. It could be a case of the Heat auditioning perimeter defenders during training camp, provided they accept non-guaranteed contracts.

Q: Hey Ira, excluding foul-trouble situations, do you think one of our big three will always be playing no matter who else is on the court? Or will they tend to play and rest together? — Dave.

A: I see either Dwyane or LeBron on the court at all times.

Q: I am convinced it is utterly useless to have both Juwan Howard and Jamaal Magloire on the final 15-man roster. Please explain to me why it’s necessary? — Jose.

A: It’s not. But it’s about a depth of proven players. It would not be out of the realm for one or more guaranteed contracts to be eaten prior to final cuts.

Q: Erik Spoelstra is a great coach, no doubt. However, I just can’t see him winning an NBA championship. In order for the Miami Heat to win a championship, I really feel that Pat Riley has to make a return to the bench. – Ian.

A: I’m not sure that’s where Pat wants to be. But Pat also won’t let this thing get too far off track this coming season.

Q: I am tired of the criticism directed at the Heat these days. There are a lot of reasons the criticism of LeBron’s decision to join Miami is unjustified, but really what bugs me the most is how factually inaccurate the criticism from NBA icons has been. — Jordi.

A: Then ignore it. And enjoy the spoils. It’s kind of like being a Lakers or Yankees fan. Leave the jealousy for others. Remember, two seasons ago, when you were watching 15-67, no one even took the time to notice your team.

Comments (206 Comments)

I wonder what type of offensive system that SPO has in the plans for this team. Remember that championship teams are typically BETTER than their individual parts. One of the most embarrasing instances of “basketball” was the Lebron/Wade/Bosh led 2006 World Championship team. This team was stacked with talent, perhaps had 13 of the top 15 players in the tournament. However, they were not a TEAM. Other TEAMS with much less talent simply destroyed them. I believe it was Greece who eliminated them from the tournament. Yes, that’s GREECE!

This Miami Heat team will depend on whether they can actually turn into a team. I have my doubts because the pieces simply don’t fit together. I will be shocked if this Heat team can get past the Magic, Celtics and to a lessser extent the Bulls.

You see the Bulls actually made wise decisions. Even though they didn’t get the superstars, they put their team together with a plan. This Heat team wasn’t really put together, they just got the best talent available to them with the big 3, and then a bunch o scrubs to back them up.

Will these group of individuals crap out like the 2006 USA team? I think so, but we will have to wait and see.

LOL at me making fun of Sledge, no need. I was his biggest ally though here for awhile, was blinded by his all out heat hatred. Then one day he ruffled my feathers, said something out of line defending Perkins of course where he personally insulted me. Still, I’m not one to just conveniently pile on people when they can’t defend themselves, unless its some idiot that just comes on here to provoke fights.

Man though, I wasn’t around here at all following our last 2 playoff exits. He must have really focked himself up spewing out garbage like the game of moola mouth

Knicks waited 3 years for Lebron and instead have to settle for the Earl Barron consolation prize. Cleveland swaps Lebron for Joey Graham. Toronto, Bosh for Amir Johnson. How can you not just feel a little bad for those teams? You have to, other than the Knicks of course

Well in Cleveland’s case, they really only have themselves to blame. They had 7 years to build a championship team around the best player in the world and failed miserably in doing so.

1. They let Danny freakin Ferry control their franchise’s fate, the biggest bust in NBA history.

2. They forgot the importance of the actual signature to a contract, taking Boozer’s word instead of just forcing him to sign the dotted line, the same mistake Jerry MacGuire made in that movie, oh what was its name?

3. Since Boozer, they never gave Lebron a true 1b or even 2a to team up with to win titles. Larry Hughes, Illgauskas, Mo Williams, 38 year old Shaq, out of prime Jamison. No

4. They let Lebron essentially be the GM, letting a kid tell them who would be best fit, also signing all his entourage and making them part of the organization, creating a circus type atmosphere instead of a championship environment.

5. They became blinded by their regular season win total unlike Riley, who saw his flaws despite losing the year before to Detroit when one could have argued if Wade didn’t get hurt that team would have been good enough. It wasn’t. They needed Posey,Walker,Williams,Payton, guys that all had chips on their shoulders who nobody wanted to face in a 7 game series, or in a back alley

2. They forgot the importance of the actual signature to a contract, taking Boozer’s word instead of just forcing him to sign the dotted line, the same mistake Jerry MacGuire made in that movie, oh what was its name?

“2. They forgot the importance of the actual signature to a contract, taking Boozer’s word instead of just forcing him to sign the dotted line, the same mistake Jerry MacGuire made in that movie, oh what was its name?”

“5. They became blinded by their regular season win total unlike Riley, who saw his flaws despite losing the year before to Detroit when one could have argued if Wade didn’t get hurt that team would have been good enough. It wasn’t. They needed Posey,Walker,Williams,Payton, guys that all had chips on their shoulders who nobody wanted to face in a 7 game series, or in a back alley”

In the Grove, the police received a disturbing call from a man in trouble. A 51-year-old man, was calling from Grove Park where this man had apparently gone for a bycicle ride a in the middle of the night. The lonely and disturbed man had apparently thought it would be fun to have intimacy with one of the steel sit-up benches around the park. The bench had numerous holes in it, which this man used to attempt to satisfy himself.

However, once he became aroused, he found that he was stuck and could not get his pen*s out of the small hole. He panicked and called the police to help him. When the police arrived, they found this man stuck face down where he had been stuck for some time.

When the doctors arrived at the scene, they tried to release some of the pressure by removing some of his blood, but the pen*s was so swollen that they ended up having to cut the entire bench free and take it, with this man attached, to the hospital.

Four painful hours later, the doctors finally separated this man from the bench. The doctors stated that if he had been stuck for even an hour longer, they would have had to cut his two inch pen*s.

This man’s identity has not been released, but according to sources, his nickname is “Sledge”. Also on an odd note, it was noticed that his bycicle did not have a seat, but it is believed to be an unrelated event to what happened last night as witnesses confirmed that the bycicle was seatless before the man arrived riding it at the park.

I’m just leaving this blog with my quick 2 cents on this newest Heat trashing before leaving because the blog, quite clearly, remains deep in the toilet.

The Premise – The Chicago Bulls are better than the Miami Heat. Well, let’s put it to the test:

I’ll base my comparisons on the LIKELY 8-man rotations of each team….

Heat—————————————Bulls

Wade—————–v——————-Rose: Rose is a very promising guard and has a heck of future ahead of him, but Dwyane Wade is one of the top 3 players in league (Big Advantage Heat)

Bosh——————v——————-Boozer: A pretty even match-up, but it’s no coincidence that the Bulls – and really every team in the market for a big man – coveted Bosh ahead of all others and all viewed Boozer as the fall-back to Bosh (Slight Advantage Heat)

James—————v——————-Deng: Here is where the Bulls’ ENTIRE case falls apart; Deng is a fine player, oft-injured and overpaid, but still a quality SF but LeBron James is the best player in the league and an athlete who really is ahead of his time (Cataclysmic Advantage Heat)

Haslem————-v——————-Gibson: Virtually the same player; each of their strengths and weaknesses are mirrored by the other (No Advantage)

Ilgauskas/Anthony—-v————–Noah: Offensively Z is the more gifted of the bunch but he is slow and is not the same player he once was, Anthony is a great rim deterent and not much else; Noah is like a super role-player, an unrefined offensive game but, though undersized, a scrappy defender, elite rebounder, and great on-the-court leader (Measureable Advantage Bulls)

House——————–v————–Watson: Watson is the better ball-handler and is younger/faster but he is also turnover prone but he could be good for Chicago; House, when hot, is as good a long range shooter as there is in the game but he is a woeful passer and ball-handler and the most he offers on the defensive side of the ball is his “peskiness” (Near Non-existent Advantage Bulls)

Miller——————v——————Korver: A great match-up, but Miller is the better talent, offers more ball-handling and court vision but Korver is a dead-eye 3-point shooter and might just be what the doctor ordered up in the Windy City, the only drawback is that he is a forward and only a forward, Chicago really needed more shooting from the backcourt, still though, he should help (Slight Advantage Heat)

Chalmers/Arroyo—–v—————-Brewer: Not really a “head-to-head” match-up but these are the players left on either roster more likely to get significant playing time, both Arroyo and Chalmers are token point-guards for the Miami Heat one is a better floor general the other offers *some* 3-point shooting and plays the passing lanes pretty well – doesn’t do anything else well at all. Brewer should be an even better defender in Thibodeau’s system and will match-up with the opposing team’s best offensive guard, however, he is an awful mid-to-long range shooter and all his offense will come off of backdoor cuts and dives to the basket and offensive rebound follows, having him and Rose on the floor together will allow defenses to pack the paint against Chicago (Slight Advantage Bulls)

You’re no saint. You got a free cab, you got a free room–and someone’ll listen to your boring stories! Didn’t you notice on the plane when you started talking, eventually I started reading the vomit bag? Didn’t that give you some sort of clue, like maybe this guy is not enjoying it? Y’know, not everything is an anecdote, you have to discriminate! You choose things are funny or mildly amusing! You’re a miracle! Your stories have none of that! They’re not even amusing accidentally! “Honey, I’d like you to meet Del Griffith, he’s got some amusing anecdotes for ya! And, oh, here’s a gun so you can blow your brains out, you’ll thank me for it! I could tolerate any insurance seminar. For days, I could sit there, and listen to them go on and on with a big smile on my face! And they’d say, how can you stand it? And I’d say, because I’ve been with Del Griffith, I can take anything! Y’know what they’d say, they’d say, “I know what you mean, shower curtain ring guy…whoa!” It’s like going on a date with a Chatty-Kathy doll. I expect you to have a string on your chest that you pull out and have to snap back. Except I wouldn’t pull it out and snap it back, you would! (imitating) Dyah dyah dyah dyah! And, you know, when you’re telling these little stories, here’s a good idea: have a point. It makes it makes it so much more interesting for the listener!

It’s not about being funny it’s about removing the wart with a mercilessly sharp knife. If he stops posting nonsense with the purpose of instigating then it will stop. I am not the only one on this mission so get used to it. It’s for the best interest of the blogs future. If you notice the bashing only happens when Sledge posts nonsense. So blame him.

You must be one lonely a$$hole Sledge. You’ve been on this blog the entire day. I don’t know how you do it. Sad. I leave for a few hours and read up on what has gone down and you are going back and forth with the other bloggers. Amazing. I’ll now wait for your hee hee hee hahaha response.

Cruise says:
July 31, 2010 at 8:46 pm
What about ignoring him? Much easier. More mature response.

Problem with ignoring him is some idiot will always respond to him and then start a fight and the blog goes to hell anyways. That is why we need to remove him. Since the Sunsentinel is helpless we have to take matters into our own hands. Like I said deal with it cause this war will last for a few months. There are others that have joined the cause. He has no chance. We will outlast him because it is more than one of us against one guy. He will be defeated.

“Attack
July 31, 2010 at 8:59 pm
Cruise says:
July 31, 2010 at 8:46 pm
What about ignoring him? Much easier. More mature response.

Problem with ignoring him is some idiot will always respond to him and then start a fight and the blog goes to hell anyways. That is why we need to remove him. Since the Sunsentinel is helpless we have to take matters into our own hands. Like I said deal with it cause this war will last for a few months. There are others that have joined the cause. He has no chance. We will outlast him because it is more than one of us against one guy. He will be defeated.”

Do what you feel to be right, but you’ve got to realize that you’re gonna scare off a lot of other valuable bloggers while doing it and I think it’s a shame (it has already begun).

They just let me say gaye phag. Someone pushing buttons had to genuinely take 20 seconds to read between the lines and agree that my content was not a homosexual slur, not meant to offend homosexuals in any form or fashion. I salute you!

How did all the sales employees get fired yet Yakuba Diawarra’s keys still work to open the entire Triple AAA arena? Or is he now in charge of ticket sales, since he’s still allowed to workout there but isn’t currently on our roster? That must be it

The complete charges were released Thursday, and many political leaders and pundits have since called for his resignation. There are numerous reasons Democratic leaders would like Rangel to quietly step away — chief among them the effect a corruption trial would have on public opinion during an already difficult election year.

I feel like Dwayne Wade on last year’s Heat team, no help but still good enough to make this the most entertaining blog in the league 47 nights out of 82. Or not the most entertaining per say, but at the end of the night I still get the W, or, but, and at the end of the night I get the W AND some of those night its still also the most entertaining due to me still being the best by myself of all bloggers that blog, win or lose, but, sometimes when you win or lose, you actually tie, but when I tie, I don’t sometimes win or lose, I win, at a 47 to 82 ratio

“Attack
July 31, 2010 at 8:59 pm
Cruise says:
July 31, 2010 at 8:46 pm
What about ignoring him? Much easier. More mature response.

Problem with ignoring him is some idiot will always respond to him and then start a fight and the blog goes to hell anyways. That is why we need to remove him. Since the Sunsentinel is helpless we have to take matters into our own hands. Like I said deal with it cause this war will last for a few months. There are others that have joined the cause. He has no chance. We will outlast him because it is more than one of us against one guy. He will be defeated.”

Do what you feel to be right, but you’ve got to realize that you’re gonna scare off a lot of other valuable bloggers while doing it and I think it’s a shame (it has already begun).

It’s not sledge. It’s king Riley/sposux doing a good majority of the toilet trash talk and impersonating. Ira should go back to logged accounts where you have to register that way they can ban and at least deter the kids by making them make new accounts. They could also moderate posts.

Where the f*ck are the asylum posters? kbboy? cyrus? jrod? gs? This f*ing season can’t start soon enough.

lol @ the impersonator or sledge using my avatar to first attack sledge, then to attack me. This place has gone full retard. This avatar sh*t is a joke. no sh*t everyone can just get the same one if they look for it. Why not just bring back typepad? f*ing blog has gotten worse every year.

Let me be the first to start the discussions that will dominate this blog for the upcoming regular season:

1. Will Miami break the Bulls all-time win record?

2. If Wade averages 1 more ppg than Lebron, with Lebron having overall better numbers across the board, who will the voters give the MVP to?

3. Can Wade or Lebron win an MVP award the next six seasons considering they are teammates and both have Bosh?

4. Will Spoelstra win coach of the year when Miami gets the best regular season record or will the writers give it to the overachieving, less deserving coach who coaches a fringe playoff team like they sometimes do?

My opinion on this is Spoelstra will have to surpass Mike Brown’s 66 win aeason to even be in contention, given the anti-Heat movement as of late?

5. Will Spoelstra make the next leap as a coach and start subbing based on game to game situation or will he resort back to his robotic style when he didn’t have any talent to work with?

6. Will Spoelstra be smart enough to recognize the great importance of having either Wade or Lebron on the floor at all times?

7. Who will start at center, who is best fit to start?

8. How many games will Miami go before their first loss?

9. Will there be any off-the-court problems between the big 3 and each other?

10. Is there ever really a time to panic and start badmouthing our organization at any point in the regular season like we’ve seen the majority of bloggers do every single game regardless of the outcome?

11. Will bloggers continue to criticize Haslem & Spoelstra because they never will like them as human beings?

12. Who will be the first 3 bloggers to start talking bad about our organization that are Heat fans?

13. Will bloggers praise Spoelstra after every win the same way they bash him after ever loss?

1) no, heat will not break the win record.
2) james still has a larger ego than wade. James will average more ppg than wade. If its that close , as you intimate, james will take over.
3) I can see co-mvp’s between wade and james.
4) Spo will not win coach of the year. Ever. However, Riley is a shoe in for GM of the year.
5) Spo will become less robotic, because he has so much to work with.
6) A blind retard would realize to keep wade or james on the floor at all times. I would think Spo is indeed better than that.
7) JOel Anthony will start, but Big Z is a better fit, unless heat bring in a 3 point threat. 8 or 9 games
9) No off court issues, as long as team is winning.
10) if team isnt winning, then all scrutiny will be on Spo. and rightfully so.
11) winning solves everything
12.)
13) Coaches never get credit when the team wins. This team is expected to win alot.

Props to Blue Martini Bar in Kendall for an awesome opening weekend. Plenty of honeys to choose from. Highly recommend it for those that havn’t been there. Much better than the one that was in Sunset in South Miami.

Time to take care of business. On cloud 9 with a hottie driving me to her place. Talk to yall tomorrow. I’ll keep the blog peaceful if Sledge doesn’t instigate like he did today with his Professor Harris post. If he posts nonsense I will ATTACK. Peace!

According to our exhaustive preliminary studies, this formidable new Heat team will wreck havoc in the NBA. Even without a decent point guard. No center either. Even with a mediocre bench with only Haslem, Miller and House. Lebron, Wade and Bosh are just too much firepower for one single team.

Then again, a series of detailed algorithms correlated with their corresponding permutations indicate it won’t by a walk in the park either on multiple occasions: try beating Chicago by 40 points, when the DO have a great point guard and and excellent center plus shooters and Boozer. The same match-up complications will arise against Orlando and Boston. They do have good centers and point guards, exactly what this awesome Heat team lacks.

Therefore, Homer kids, we strongly suggest you curb your feverish enthusiasm at this point. Wait at least until December to start celebrating an 82 game winning season. Wait until the All Star break to make preparations for the Championship parade in downtown Miami. We can’t fathom would would happen to some of you if the Black Mamba were to win his 6th ring at Lebron’s expense. It could get serious, heart failures, suicide attempts, disorderly conduct in public, and such perturbed fanatical behaviors would be the order of the day.

“Only LA and Boston have the championship credentials to stand up and believe they can knock us off in a 7 game series, but nobody has ever had to eliminate Wade and LBJ at the same time in a 7 game series… it is not happening.”

They may have the championship credentials, but neither has the personnel to stop Wade, LeBron, and Bosh at the same time. People also forget that we will be averaging close to 110 ppg, and can still play lock-down defense in the fourth as needed.

Lmao! I’m sure Wade’s gonna stop Kobe in the 4th, especially when Kobe’s lighting it up from outside and then posting his a@@ up. And I’m sure bosh is gonna stop Gasol AND Bynum in the 4th being that bosh is such a defensive stopper. Oh, I almost forgot lebronica. I’m sure he’ll be able to contain both LO and Artest.

LA PAZ (Reuters) – The Aymara priest who blessed Bolivian President Evo Morales at an inauguration ceremony four years ago has been arrested in possession of 530 pounds (240 kg) of cocaine, police said Thursday

MADISON, Wis. (July 31) — A 12-year-old girl at an amusement park plunged more than 40 feet to the ground on Friday, seriously injuring herself when a safety net under a “free fall” attraction failed to catch her.

My partner and I really enjoyed reading this article, I was just wondering do you ever trade featured articles or blog posts? I’m always searching for someone to make trades with and merely thought I might ask.

IRA WINDERMAN is embarking on his 24th season covering the Miami Heat for the Sun-Sentinel, witnessing more than 1,900 of the team's games (thus the bags under the eyes and hair loss not truly depicted by the accompanying photo). With the help of antacids (during the lean years) and a sense of humor (during the Riley dictatorship), he has been able to remain a courtside fixture at AmericanAirlines Arena, a veteran 12 years older than coach Erik Spoelstra. Only former trainer Ron Culp had attended more Heat games, but, then again, Winderman has yet to tape his first ankle.